


Being Lost is Worth the Being Found

by FFanon



Category: Sweet Virginia (2017)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Loss, Father Figures, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Motel living, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:52:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13702044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFanon/pseuds/FFanon
Summary: Sam’s the manager of the motel you and your young daughter are currently residing in.  Quite easily, you formed a friendship with the man who allows your daughter to frequently interrupt his working.  On some level, you and him both knew that one day things between you would change.





	Being Lost is Worth the Being Found

**Author's Note:**

> This came about after I read the premise for The Florida Project (still have to watch it!). I’ve only borrowed the idea of a mother and young daughter living out of the motel, not the rest of it. Thank you to Will_Write_4_Coffee for helping me with this :)

“Can I have some?”

Sam gives a small grin as he finishes pouring coffee into his cup, “You wouldn’t like it.”  
  
“Why not? It looks like soda!”   
  
The curious five year old girl is seated atop the desk where Sam placed her a few minutes ago.

“Oh no,” Sam gets playfully dramatic, “This is a juice...made of brussel sprouts, broccoli, and peas!” and as he says the last bit he scrunches his nose just as she does.

“Eww!” she cries and Sam says it with her before chuckling and sipping his coffee as he limps past her to stand at the desk next to her.   
  
“Why do you drink that?” she asks in horror.  
  
“Grown ups have to. It’s sort of a rule,” he gives a shrug, smiling to himself at the conversation.  
  
“Yuck! What is it called?”  
  
“Coffee,” Sam leans on his elbow as he fully faces her.  
  
“Mommy drinks that too! She always said I wouldn’t like it when I asked for some.”  
  
“Your Mommy’s a smart woman,” he grins fondly at the thought of you, “Hey, think you can do me a favor?” he straightens up and taps his palm on the desk.  
  
Avery smiles and nods excitedly.  
  
Sam grabs his old Stetson from the wall, “I gotta do some cleaning around here today. Mind takin’ care of my hat while I do?”  
  
“Yeah!”  
  
Sam places the hat on the little girl’s head where it covers her eyes, it being expectedly too big for her. Both laugh as Sam readjusts it, tipping it up some.  
  
“It smells funny,” she says as she grabs the brim with both hands to move it a bit on her head again.  
  
He laughs at her honesty, “It does, don’t it? You don’t got to wear it.”  
  
“No! I love it!” she says proudly, “I promise to look after it.”  
  
“Thank you sweetheart,” he smiles.  
  
“ _Avery? Avery?!_ ”   
  
The little girl’s head snaps to look at the doorway, her mouth in an O shape as Sam looks towards the door too.  
  
He then turns to look at her, a playful glare paired with a small smirk, “Thought you said your mama knew you were here?” As he grips her sides and lifts her off the desk into his arms, her small arms circle his neck as she quietly admits, “Sort of.”  
  
You’re on the verge of panic when you hear Sam’s voice shout, “Lookin’ for this one?” and he steps out of his office, your daughter in his arms as she waves at you.  
  
With a sigh of relief, you make your way over to them. As scared as you were, seeing Avery with the cowboy hat on is so cute and you can’t help but smile.  
  
Sam puts her down as you get close. You crouch down, mindful of the skirt of your sundress, and place your hands on Avery’s small cheeks, “Young lady, what did I tell you? You need to ask my permission before you go anywhere around here, including to see Sam. Okay?”  
  
Avery nods, “Yes mama.”   
  
“Good girl,” you kiss her cheek as she smiles. Standing up next to Sam, he shares low, “Thought you knew she was here,” his tone apologetic.  
  
A squeeze of his arm and a grin let him know you don’t blame him at all, “She bothering you though? You don’t have to entertain her all the time.”  
  
“I’m not, promise! He asked me to watch his hat today,” she smiles.  
  
“That I did,” Sam nods in agreement which makes you smile in amusement.   
  
“Oh yeah?” you tenderly grasp her chin as she looks up at you, “Well we have laundry to do and I don’t know if he wants that leaving the motel.”  
  
“Nah, it’s in good hands. I trust ya angel,” Sam grins as he puts his hand up, Avery happily high fiving him.  
  
“Coffee before you go?” Sam motions to his office.  
  
“Sure,” you smile as Avery sticks her tongue out in disgust. Sam leads the way inside and goes right to the pot, pouring a second mug full before handing it to you.   
  
“Thank you,” you take a sip, “You know, my laundry offer still stands even though you never take me up on it,” looking at him with a hint of a smirk.  
  
Sam glances at you before shyly looking down and flipping through the registration book. He shakes his head, “And I appreciate it, but I ain’t havin’ you wash my clothes,” he looks at you.  
  
Avery is too busy galloping in front of the desk, pretending she’s a cowgirl under that hat.  
  
“Well I’d like to repay you somehow. You let my daughter take over your time and you give us a discount for staying here,” your voice getting softer in gratitude.  
  
“There’s no need,” he puts his hand up a bit, “You two’s company is thank you enough,” and he stills as he realizes what he just mistakenly confessed. In a reflex, he clears his throat a bit before walking past your stare as he busies himself with tidying up some papers on the other side of where you’re leaning against.   
  
When your hand touches the inside of his bare forearm, pausing his actions, he looks at you with soft eyes. He wishes you two can just seamlessly move past his words, he doesn’t want to ruin this...this friendship he has with you.   
  
“What are you doing for dinner tonight?” you ask him, hand still on his unmoving arm.  
  
“I, uh,” and he’s actually a little nervous he finds but he sees the way your eyes are bright and the way your lips part enough to have an almost excited grin, “Well, nothing really.”  
  
“Care to join us at the diner then? You enjoy our company...we enjoy  _yours_ ,” you share as you innocently slide your hand down to rest your fingertips on his wrist, thankfully not his pulse point he thinks, “and it lets me pay you back.”  
  
The little girl’s ears now picking up on the conversation, she runs over to you two, looking up at Sam, “Yeah! Sam, we have a lot of fun when we go. We play the games on the paper and draw with the crayons,” she says in a childlike way of persuasion.   
  
Both adults look down at her with a grin at her enthusiasm.  
  
“Oh yeah?” he chuckles lightly.  
  
“Mhm!,” she nods, bouncing on her feet.  
  
“That does sound like a lot of fun. How could I miss that?” he looks at you amused, and obviously accepting the invite.  
  
With a similar entertained look, you playfully shrug, then give a little laugh, “Great!” you squeeze his forearm gently, before letting him go to pick up your mug and have a few more sips of coffee.  
  
“Alright munchkin, you ready to go lasso up some laundry?”   
  
Sam laughs and Avery throws her little arms up with a “Yeah!”  
  
“Thank you for the coffee,” you move around him to take your daughter’s hand.  
  
He gives a small nod, “Anytime.”  
  
“Dinner at six good?”  
  
Sam grins, “Perfect.”  
  
“Great,” you smile so sweet, “We’ll see you later.”  
  
“Bye Sam!” Avery waves.  
  
“Bye sweetheart,” Sam grins, holding his hand up in a quick wave.

 

_______

 

At the diner, Sam sits across from you both. 

Avery’s been attending a summer camp, which helps you with daycare when you work. She tells Sam everything about it, even stories she’s already told him, but he still listens intently. Even asking her questions and smiling when she answers excitedly.  
  
After the waitress takes your dinner plates away, Avery happily draws with her crayons as she quietly hums some song. Your chin propped in your hand as you run your fingers through her hair, her never looking up from her drawing.  
  
“She’s a really great kid,” Sam states causing you to look at him, lowering your arm to the table.  
  
“Thank you,” you smile before you both glance at her.  
  
Sam knows it’s not his business, but he’d be lying if he wasn’t curious, “Her, uh, her father…?” he asks a bit low.  
  
But you aren’t phased by it which makes him feel at ease about asking.  
  
“Left when she was born. We were only together a year when I got pregnant. There was still a lot to learn about each other, you know? I think part of me knew he had already mentally checked out but he kept saying all the right things and I just...I really wanted it to be true,” you glance at your girl with a smile before turning back to Sam, “The first night home with her, she cried all night,” you give a quick breath of a laugh at the memory, “And by morning, he was packed and gone,” you give a small shrug, but you can’t help the tears that form, but don’t fall.  
  
Sam feels a mix of sadness and anger, “Some men, they don’t know a great thing when they have it,” and he adds, “Or in this case, two great things.”  
  
He’s sincere and serious, and you’re in awe at how sweet his words are. Looking at each other, something lingering there between you, and you want to say something,  _anything_ , when Avery gets your attention.   
  
“Mommy, look!”   
  
And she holds up her now finished drawing. And you can make out three people - herself, you...and Sam.  The beard she draws on him looks like a furry animal and you bite your lip to stifle a giggle.  You turn it around to show him and you see the twinkle of a laugh in his eyes when he spots his likeness on the paper.  
  
“That me?” he points with a smile and looks to the tiny artist.  
  
“Yup! And me, and Mommy! I made it for you. So you can hang it up,” she smiles proudly.   
  
“Do you mind putting your name on it? That way people will know just who made this?” he places the paper on the table, turning the drawing around and points to the top of the sheet.  
  
It’s like she was asked for her autograph; she gasps with a smile and slowly starts writing her name out in big letters.  
  
Sam holds the paper to steady it for her, even if his hand isn’t so steady anymore.  
  
You watch their interaction with a smile as you end up helping her write a couple letters.  
  
“Thank you so much angel,” he smiles when she finishes and slides it to him.  Just then the waitress comes with two coffees and a hot fudge sundae.  
  
“Wow!” she breathes at the mountain of whipped cream on top as it’s placed in front of her.  
  
Nestled on top are two maraschino cherries.   
  
“Mama, the cherries,” Avery points out; she doesn’t care for them.  
  
“Cherry fan?” you look to Sam as you pluck them both up by the stems.  
  
“I am,” he chuckles as he takes a cherry from your offering hand.   
  
As you two eat the cherries, Avery attempts to eat the sundae that is taller than her from being on the table.  
  
A couple close calls has you keeping a hand on the base of the sundae dish as you and Sam chat more.  
  
She manages to eat about a third of it, mouth covered in chocolate before she’s declared finished with it. You help her wipe her mouth with a napkin before you stick your coffee spoon into the ice cream to steal a taste.  You tip the glass towards Sam with a raise of your brow and after a brief moment of hesitation, Sam grabs his own coffee spoon to take a taste too.  
  
Avery wiggles in her seat when she touches your arm with a whispered, ‘Mama?”  
  
You lean down and she whispers that she has to go to the bathroom. Sam can hear her and he hides his quiet chuckle behind his cup of coffee he brings to his lips as he pretends he doesn’t hear.  
  
You try to hide your own amused expression as you turn to a smirking Sam, “We’ll be right back.”  
  
Sam nods and watches as you stand up, putting your hand out to the little girl scooting across to get out of the booth.  
  
While you’re away from the table, Sam flags down the waitress and pays for the meal.    
  
Once you two return and settle back in the booth, you ask the waitress for the check as she passes by.  
  
“Your check’s been settled, ma’am,” the older woman states before heading to another booth.  
  
“What?” you turn to look at Sam in confusion, and the sheepish look on his face says it all.  
  
“Sam!” you quietly and playfully scold at him.  
  
“Don’t start,” he gives you a playful glare, “Besides, I got my repayment right here,” as he holds up Avery’s drawing, “Right?” he asks the little girl even though he knows she doesn’t know what they’re going on about.  
  
“Right!” she exclaims in agreement.  
  
You look between the two of them with a shake of your head and a laugh.  
  
“Well, thank you,” you look at him.  
  
“My pleasure,” he nods.  
  
Sam had driven the two of you there with a chatty Avery in the middle. With Avery now asleep against your side, the drive back is a comfortable quiet. The radio is off as to not wake her, and you hug her close as you glance out the window.  
  
“I, uh, I had a family once,” Sam quietly shares.  
  
He doesn’t know why he chooses that moment to share. Maybe because he can be distracted by the driving, that he can stop his mind from drowning in the sorrow of it all.  
  
It’s the very last thing you expect him to say. You abruptly turn your head to look at him, the past tense of his words hang heavy in the air.  
  
“Had a daughter, little younger than Avery,” he slowly continues and tears instantly gloss over your eyes.  
  
“Wh-what was her name?” you try to hide the break in your hushed voice.   
  
In the streaks of the passing streetlights, you can make out his own watery eyes, but at your question a fond grin takes him over for a brief moment of time.  
  
“Emily,” he glances at you.  
  
He keeps his left hand on the wheel as he nervously rubs his beard with the other.  
  
“She-she got real sick. We lost her before her fourth birthday.”  
  
You turn your head quickly to quiet the small sob that wants to come out, a couple tears making their way down your cheeks.  
  
It all makes sense now how he’s so good with Avery - he had been a father once.  
  
As he continues, you hear his breathing get a bit heavier as he tries to not let himself fall apart.  
  
“The grief tore me and my wife apart. They say that can happen with...with the loss of a, uh, a child.”   
  
Quickly you wipe the tears from your cheeks before looking at him.  
  
He clears the emotion from his throat as best he can before glancing quickly at you again.  
  
“...There’s no need to pay me back for anything. Avery gives me a glimpse at what my own daughter could have been like...and that’s...that’s just not something I’d thought I’d ever see.”  
  
You’re at a loss for words. Saying you’re sorry seems pointless because it’s obvious you are. No parent should ever have to bury their child.   
  
You let go of Avery, whose is settled against you snug, and slowly you reach your hand out in the dark. You find his trembling right hand and slide your fingers across the back of it. His hand hesitantly starts to turn over and you move your palm to lay against his. Lacing your fingers with his, his thumb sweeps across your skin as you give a tender squeeze.   
  
Neither of you make any indication of letting go and your hands stay like that even as he pulls into the parking space in front of your room.   
  
He feels you give a small squeeze before letting him go so he can cut the engine.  When he does, you two just look at one another again. That same feeling of something between you, but now with a newfound understanding of each other.  
  
“Would you mind helping me get my room key out of my purse?” you somehow find your voice to quietly whisper an ask.   
  
Sam nods, and grabs your purse as you maneuver getting out of the truck holding her small, sleeping form.   
  
He finds the room key and opens the door for you, letting you in first. You gently lay her down on one of the beds and Sam places your purse on the dresser.   
  
He watches as you slowly pull the covers out from under her, then pulling them over her.  
  
He hangs his head, almost like he feels he’s intruding, and keeps his hands tucked against his torso.  
  
As soon as you have her tucked in, you look at Sam and walk over to him. Just as you get close, he lifts his head to look at you, and you wrap your arms around his neck. Standing on your tiptoes a bit, you hug him and you feel as he hesitantly moves his arms, circling your waist and returning your hug.  
  
“I’m glad we found you,” you whisper into the night, tears threatening to fall at what he’s been through. Of all the motels, you couldn’t be more grateful you ended up at Sam’s.   
  
His arms tighten a bit more at your words as he inhales a small breath.   
  
Together, you embrace one another for a good minute. Slowly you loosen your hold, and let your hands move to his shoulders, watching as they drift down to his t-shirt covered chest. Tears now on your cheeks, you look up at him, “Sam, I...I don’t even know what to say,” your heart so obviously broken.  
  
He unwraps his arms from you to cradle your face, thumbs wiping your tears. And it feels so natural that neither of you question his touch.  
  
“It’s okay,” he whispers, his eyes starting to brim with tears again.  
  
“It’s not. No one should have to go through that, especially you,” you share through your tears. “She was so lucky Sam, Emily, she was  _so_  lucky to have you as her Dad,” your voice so soft and heartfelt that finally a couple of his own tears fall, rolling down his cheeks, disappearing into his beard.   
  
He moves his hands from your face, one going to his hip as he runs the other down his face to wipe his tears in one motion. He just nods a couple of times, too overcome to add anything else.   
  
You step into him again, your turn in cradling his face as you press a gentle kiss to his cheek. You lean your forehead against his brow as his arms slowly find their way around you again.

______

 

Sam had worried that maybe his past was too heavy to share, that maybe it would be too much for you to process and that somehow he had inadvertently pushed you away. But he needed you to know that just interacting with the two of you was thank you enough for him.

  
The morning after you had grieved with him, ending that night with a lingering hand hold before he left for his own room, you had walked into his office with your daughter’s hand tucked in yours, his old rodeo hat atop her head.  
  
Sam had looked up when he heard the door’s bell chime, and seeing who it was, he didn’t know if he should be happy or nervous, to be honest he was a little bit of both. Unsure if maybe he was right in his assumption and you were here to finally check out.  
  
The second he sees that beautiful, almost shy smile adorn your face, he feels what he could only describe as peace.  
  
“Good Morning Sam,” you say as Avery repeats it.  
  
“Mornin’ ladies,” he gives a nod, his eyes soft and a hint of a smirk there and gone.   
  
“Came by for a cup of a coffee with a certain motel manager. That is, if he’d like to,” you ask with a blush and a sweet smile.  
  
His lips slowly move into a lopsided grin.  
  
Before he can answer, Avery chimes in, “Ew, not me! But I brought your hat!”  
  
As you and he laugh at her personality, he looks at you again to finally answer, “I think I have enough,” he teases softly, “How ‘bout outside on the bench?”   
  
You nod, “Sounds good.”   
  
As you sit side by side, Avery entertains herself by drawing in the nearby dirt with a stick.  
  
“Sunday there’s a farmer's market a couple towns over that we're going to check out,” you start, eyes meeting with his, “You're more than welcome to come with us," coffee mug cradled in your hands.   
  
Sam listens and he moves his head to look down at his coffee, grinning softly at your request.  He lifts his head back up and looks at you, a playful narrowed stare that only lasts for a second before he licks his lower lip quick, "Might slow you two down."  
  
The way he says it, it's hard for you to determine if he truly believes that somewhere deep down or if he's just trying to make light of his obvious condition.  Regardless of his meaning, the statement itself couldn't be more wrong.  
  
"Slow and steady wins the race, haven't you heard Sam?" and you smirk waiting for his response because you know how silly it is.  
  
Taken by surprise by your unexpected, but cute, response, he laughs.  With a nod, he turns his head to glance at you, "I think I have heard that," a smile still lingering on his face as he looks down at his coffee before bringing the mug to his lips, taking a sip.  
  
He doesn't officially answer and you start to worry that maybe you're just putting him in an awkward position, making him feel like he has to say yes.  
  
With your light tone diminishing, a more worried tone sneaking in, you add "I know men aren't usually into that sort of thing, but it was-," and it just strikes you to just be honest with him, so you take a quiet breath before continuing, "-it was just really nice hanging out with you yesterday, outside of the motel I mean..."  
  
Sam watches you, a gleam of amusement in his eyes as he realizes that he's not the only one nervous at times in these interactions between you both. There's something there, both of you just hesitant to push it any further right now.  
  
Before your brain can come up with anything else to just blurt out, Sam interjects, "I had a good time, too. So yeah, Sunday sounds good,” he nods.  
  
His genuine, adorable grin starts your own.  
  
More relaxed now that the invitation has been extended and accepted, "Not that it's my place to say, but maybe at the market you could pick up some flowers for this place," you hide a smirk behind a sip of coffee.  
  
"You sayin' my motel's not pretty?" He deadpans.  
  
He gets a laugh out of you, his deadpan expression instantly gone as he smiles with you.  
  
"Not at all.  Just could use, some sprucing up is all.  But that's just my opinion," you give a playful shrug.  
  
He looks over at Avery, "Hey Avery!" And the way his southern accent is more pronounced when he says her name makes your stomach unexpectedly flip.  
  
She stops whatever little doodle she's focused on and shoots her head up at Sam's call.  
  
Sam gives a little motion of his head, "Got a question for you, sweetheart."  
  
Avery quickly comes over, leaning on your knees as she looks to Sam.  
  
"How'd you like to see some flowers around here?  Think I need to get some?"  
  
She takes the question very seriously, turning her head to look at the walkways in front of the rooms before turning back to Sam, "Yeah," she nods slow, almost like she's sorry he never realized sooner.  
  
You cover your mouth to hide the amusement on your face as you touch the brim of his hat she has on, glancing at Sam who catches your eye.  
  
He reaches out and tenderly swipes his knuckle against her cheek with a soft chuckle, "Alright then. Flowers is what we need."  
  
"Hey baby, think you may need to let Sam have his hat back, right?" you rub her back.   
  
Avery looks at you, almost forgetting she has it on.  
  
But the mention of his hat sparks his memory, "That reminds me.  I need your help with something important," he looks to her.  You stand up with him, and he puts a hand on her back as he guides her into his office, you following.  
  
Putting your mugs down on the desk, you all go behind it to where he has his rodeo mementos hanging up.  
  
"First, how about you hang that hat back up, right here?" he points to the nail sticking out of the paneling, before lifting her up by her waist so she can reach. Avery uses both hands to take his hat off and more carefully than needed, places it back on the nail.  
  
Sam then seats her on the desk as he pulls a folded up piece of paper out of his back pocket.  
  
The whole interaction has your heart bursting.  Both because he treats your daughter so sweetly and because it's obvious he was made to be father - a role taken from him too soon.  
  
You watch as he unfolds the piece of paper to reveal the drawing Avery made him last night.  She claps her hands together at the fact and he ruffles her hair quick before grabbing a piece of tape and putting it on the top of the page.  
  
"I want you to hang it up for me," and he hands her the drawing before picking her up again, "Right there," holding her up in front of the space next to his hat. "My favorite picture, next to my favorite hat."  
  
She pushes on the tape to make sure it's sticking perfectly then Sam puts her down, "Thank you very much."  
  
Avery reaches her arm up, too small to touch the drawing, but turns to you, "Mama look!"  
  
"It's beautiful! And what a special place, huh?" you smile.  
  
She nods gleefully, stepping back to look up at it again.  
  
You place a gentle hand on both of his that he has held against his torso, and you brace your other one on his shoulder as you quickly lean up, Sam glancing at you, as you press a kiss to the edge of his beard, "Thank you," you whisper for only him to hear.

 

_______

 

The farmer's market is crowded, but there's so many vendors to check out that you're almost as excited as Avery is.  

  
She's just so enamored with everything around her.   
  
It's about the third time now that Avery pulls from your hand to run ahead and look at something.  She's just so excited and she's too young to fully understand the severity of running off like that. At least she never goes too far ahead, you can always see where she ends up.  
  
"Avery!"  
  
And she looks at you apologetically, knowing she shouldn’t have done that.  
  
"You cannot run off like that.  There are too many people here, you could easily-" and you don't want to scare her because of your own fear of her being taken so you just state the obvious, "-get lost."  
  
Sam knows though.  He understands that fear.  
  
He takes off his baseball cap he's wearing and places it backwards on Avery's head, "Come here Speedy," he says before picking her up and hoisting her over his head, sitting her on his shoulders.  
  
The little girl squeals in delight at how high she is, but also places her tiny hands below his ears to steady herself.  
  
You want to hug him because you realize how much that eases your concern. She can't run off, but she can easily and happily see everything.  It's a win-win. And seeing her with his backwards baseball cap is the sweetest.  
  
It only takes one of his hands to hold her small ankles at his neck to keep her in place.  He can see in your face that as relaxed as you are having her in one spot now, you feel he's putting himself out for her, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  
  
As you look up at your daughter, to make sure she's not grabbing or kicking him or anything, you feel a warmth on the back of your neck as his hand gives a gentle squeeze, “I got her,” he says sincere and casual. His hand then slides down to your upper back, “We got a lot more to see,” he encourages, letting you know she’s fine where she is.  
  
Avery absolutely loves being on his shoulders. She sees so much and can let you know when she wants to see something you’re heading towards.  
  
And Sam, god, he just entertains her to no end. With ease, he’ll lift her off his shoulders to check out something, giving a playful tug on the bill of his cap she wears. And when she’s done looking, making the sound of a rocket ship taking off, he just picks her right back up and onto his shoulders.  
  
The three of you were walking when a scarf at a table caught your eye. Instinctively you grabbed his elbow, he had been holding Avery’s ankles, one in each hand. Quickly pointing to where you were leading them, he let go of one of her ankles and as your hand slid down his forearm as he moved, your hand easily slipped into his.   
  
That was how you ended up holding hands with Sam for the remainder of the day.  
  
Both of you were aware, the glances shared and small smiles.  Even when you pulled apart for whatever reason, you both were guilty of reaching for the other’s hand to find that comfort again.  
  
The day was one of the best in your memory. Sam did end up buying flowers, letting Avery have her pick and asking you to pick one out as well.   
  
The three of you had shared a funnel cake, which ended up with you having to wipe some powdered sugar from both the top of Sam’s head (ala Avery) and from his beard (ala Sam himself).   
  
As you pulled the wagon full of flowers to Sam’s truck, he had held a tired Avery who was comfortably situated with her head on his shoulder.   
  
In the car ride home, you had sat in the middle, letting your daughter stretch out a bit as she slept without disturbing a driving Sam.  
  
Feeling tired yourself, your eyelids were dropping as much as you tried to keep them open. You remember feeling Sam’s arm slip behind you. And you swear as you ended up resting your head on his shoulder, eyes finally closing for good, he pressed a quick kiss to your hair, “I got you,” he encouragingly whispered.  
  
Sam pulled into his parking lot, in front of your room.  He twisted his torso some, reaching with his left arm to shut the engine off. His right arm busy wrapped around you.  
  
In the silence of the night, the dark cab of his pickup illuminated only by the fluorescent bulb outside your door, he took a minute to look at you and Avery.   
  
Avery’s small legs were pushing against the door as her upper body was nestled in the crook of your arm. You had a motherly hand secured across her, resting on her side.    
  
Sam’s right hand was resting on your hip, Avery’s hair tickling his knuckles. Your head was lolled towards him, cheek snuggled into his shirt. Your free hand finding its resting place on his right knee.   
  
He knew it wasn’t some innate need to regain the family he lost that drew him to the pair of you. Plenty of mothers and children have passed through his motel and the town. That wasn’t it at all.   
  
There was a light that came from you, a brightness that drew him in. And you had only passed that trait onto your daughter.  Never had he met a more optimistic, fun-loving duo.  
  
And if you weren’t the most beautiful woman he’s seen in a long time.  
  
You felt a movement at your hip and a tickling sensation at your ear. Shrugging your shoulder, you bury your face a little more into the soft fabric of his shirt.    
  
Then you hear your name whispered.  
  
Part of you regains your knowledge of where you are.  
  
“Sam?” you question groggily.  
  
The hairs of his beard brush across your skin as his lips against your temple move into a grin, “Yeah. We’re back. I’d leave you to rest if I could, but you’d probably prefer to sleep in a bed,” his small joke falling on tired ears.  
  
As you cover a yawn, he pulls his arm out from behind you and smooths his hand over your hair, “I’ll get her for you.”  
  
You simply nod before he’s getting out and opening the passenger door.  
  
You help him gather her in his arms then you grab the shopping bag with a few goodies you had bought, exiting the truck.  
  
After you open your room’s door, he walks over to the bed and gently lays her down. Taking a step back, he gives you the room to tuck her in which you do, and you also gently remove his hat from her head.  
  
You move to him, handing him his hat. Sam takes it, sticking it in his back pocket.  
  
Exhaustion muddles your brain, which also helps eliminate some parts of you that’s been overthinking things with Sam. As a result, you let your hands rest at his ribs before slowly sliding them towards his sides and moving into him a bit.  
  
In response, his hand squeezes your hip as his other smooths up your jaw, his fingertips buried in your soft tresses above your ear.   
  
Closing your eyes at the relaxing movement of his fingers, you also lean into his palm, a barely audible sigh of contentment faintly heard from your mouth.  
  
When you open your eyes, looking at him, he shares, “Today was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time, so thank you.”  
  
A sweet smile spreads on your face, “We weren’t too much for you?” you close your eyes as he dips his head some, lips brushing the corner of your brow, his lips moving against it with a ‘never’.  
  
As he lowers his face the same time you lift yours, it’s palpable the physical tension between you two. Just as your mouths are almost aligned, Avery barely wakes from her slumber.  
  
“Mama?” she calls for you.  
  
Both of you stop and pull back. He dips his head to press a lingering kiss to your jaw, then presses a kiss to your forehead.  
  
As his lips touch your skin, you move a hand to his beard lined jaw. You keep it there even as he pulls back and looks at you.  
  
“Good night,” he whispers.  
  
“Good night,” giving a tiny scratch of his beard.

______

 

When you and Avery left the next morning to drop her at camp, next to your door was one of the big potted flowers Avery had picked out. And as you drove out of the lot, you saw the one you picked out sitting right next to the door to Sam’s office.

Once you got back, you happily got the bag of coffee Sam forgot from the farmer’s market and started towards his door since you knew his shift wasn’t until tonight.  
  
As you approach, the door opens but your smile fades when you see a woman share a hug with Sam before she gets into her car that’s parked in front of his room.   
  
It wasn’t until Bernie was heading to her car that Sam saw the back of you as you quickly headed back into your room, the angle of your path a clear indication that you had been originally headed his way.  
  
Realizing what it probably looked like, he quickly carried himself across the lot.  
  
The second you heard the knock on the door, you knew it was him.   
  
Sam’s not entirely surprised when all you do is open the door with a quick, “Hey, come in,” leaving him standing there as you quite obviously start busying yourself by tidying up.  
  
He hopes he’s doing a good job at hiding his amusement because he doesn’t want to make you any more upset.  
  
“That woman you saw, her name is Bernie,” as he slowly shuts the door behind him.  
  
You barely even glance at him as you continue picking up some items of clothing and some toys.  
  
“She’s a good friend, lends me books occasionally,” he continues on.   
  
“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” your reply short.  
  
“No, I do,” he nods, “That’s what she was doing just now. Giving me a new book.”   
  
It sounds like some line and you roll your eyes not realizing he catches you doing it.  
  
“You know, you’re real cute when you’re jealous,” he says, a smirk on.  
  
That finally gets you to look at him, “ _Jealous?_ ”   
  
As expected, you get defensive. Brows furrowed, you grab the bag of coffee and hold it out with a huff to him, “I was just bringing you your coffee. That’s it. I just didn’t want to interrupt you two.”   
  
The size of his hand allows him to cover yours that's holding the bag. When you turn your body to walk away, he pulls your arm, pulling you against him.  
  
As you go to ask him what he’s doing, his hand cups your cheek and his lips mold to yours even more perfect than you thought they would.  
  
The bag of coffee is dropped as your senses go into overdrive. You place a hand on the side of his neck, your other resting over his racing heart.   
  
He wraps his arm around your waist to keep you close. The thumb of his hand on your cheek trembles and tenderly strokes your cheekbone.  
  
The kiss is tantalizingly slow. The nerves throughout your body are on fire. Sam slips his hand under your shirt, his palm flat against your lower back, giving you goosebumps at finally feeling his skin on your body.  
  
When you both pull away just enough to separate lips, you keep your eyes closed for a moment as his forehead leans against yours.   
  
“What are you doing?” you whisper, though you know. Opening your eyes, he pulls back to get a full view of your face.  
  
“Something I should have done a lot sooner,” his voice is low, deep, sexy, “I like  _you_. And only you.”  
  
With that he leans in, capturing your lips once more. It’s you who slips your tongue in first, Sam more than happy to add it to the mix.   
  
You pull back after a minute, a blush across your cheeks as you quietly admit, “I may have been a little jealous.”  
  
Both of you share a soft grin. Sam nuzzles the tip of his nose with yours before grazing his lips over the corner of your top lip, “And why’s that?” his husky voice driving you crazy.  
  
The answer is obvious, but both of you just want it said out loud.  
  
In a sweet way, filled with adoration, you finally share, “Because I really like you, too.”  
  
His smile meets yours, kissing you like he needs you to breathe.  
  
Sam’s shirt is already half unbuttoned, something that always made you heat up, so you take the moment to finally slip your hands inside the fabric, over his hard chest. Sliding your smooth palms up to his shoulders, gliding them across until you keep one hand against the nape of his neck, your arms on his shoulders, the other hand sliding up the back of his head into his thick, curly hair.   
  
When air becomes needed, lips pull away from each other. You look to his chest as he rests his brow against your hairline, his warm breath sinking into your skin. It’s the first time you’re able to truly see the pendant around his neck, gently you pick it up from his soft skin to inspect it.   
  
Saint Jude, Patron Saint of Lost Causes.  
  
Rubbing the medal’s face with the pad of your thumb, you whisper, “You think you’re a lost cause, Sam?”   
  
There’s a few seconds of quiet before he barely murmurs, “For a long time.”  
  
You place it back against his chest before pushing the fabric of his shirt aside allowing you to press your lips right over his heart.  
  
Fingers slide into your hair, his palm cradling the back of your head, as you lean back to look at him.  
  
“But see, a few months ago this beautiful woman showed up at my motel, with the happiest little girl I’ve ever met,” he adds.  
  
A pink hue comes to your cheeks and you break into a shy smile as he continues.   
  
Sam kisses your cheek, then the corner of your smile, “And this woman, well her smile can light up the world - so when she smiled at me? Gave me something to look towards, something that started making me feel like maybe I might find my way.”   
  
“Like maybe someone saw the man you’ve been trying to hide?” and you’re so genuine in the care of your words that he wonders if you can actually see his heart beating through his chest.   
  
“Yeah,” he says, his lips quirking up to form a tiny smirk, “Exactly that.”  
  
Pressing your lips to his, kissing him softly, you pull back before kissing his bearded cupid’s bow. Slowly, you start to undo a button of his shirt, giving him a chance to say it’s too much too soon. And you know he’s looking down, watching what you’re doing, but you’re onto a second button without a word.   
  
There’s only one more left, at least that you can see above his belt, and as your fingers touch it, his beard brushes the side of your face. The tickle of his facial hair makes you shiver as his lips move along the shell of your ear, “Are you sure?”  
  
Turning slowly into him, cheeks pressing together, you answer him, “I want you...so yes.”   
  
It’s the exhale from his nose you feel first, then the slide of his hand from your lower back upwards (his fingertips brushing along the band of your bra), and finally his lips on your neck.  The scrape of his teeth has you biting your lip as you focus enough to undo that last visible button.  
  
Feeling you finish, Sam straightens up and pulls his shirt out from being tucked in. There ends up being one last button that he undoes himself before he’s grabbing the edges of the open fabric and pulling it off each big, muscled shoulder. The sight itself is making the ache between your legs stronger.   
  
It’s the first time seeing him shirtless, the contours of the muscles in his torso calling for your mouth to run over them. There’s not any time to truly enjoy the sight though because you’re kissing him again, and it’s more heated, more passionate.  
  
His hands blindly reach for the button of your jeans, quickly undoing it before he’s pulling the zipper down too. You quickly step out of your flats, nudging them to the side.  
  
Your hands brush his as you both go for the sides of the waistband, you pushing them down a bit before he can. His body guides you in a turn until the back of your knees bump the edge of the bed. With your pants down past your ass, you sit down and Sam leans down, picking up your legs and pulling the denim off the rest of the way, dropping the jeans next to his shirt on the floor.    
  
A pink, lacy pair of panties was hiding under those pants and he feels his blood pressure spike even more. Watching his eyes grow even darker with want, you lean on your elbows and maneuver yourself back, your legs now resting on the bed.    
  
He leans down, forearms bracing against the bed on either side of your legs. With a held breath, you watch as his biceps flex as that thick head of hair leans down kissing the edge of your underwear at the top of your thighs. As he drags his mouth along the laced fabric, you spread your legs a bit more earning yourself one of his grins as he leaves a kiss over the fabric covering your heat.  
  
You’re so wound up that even when he trails his kisses up, the pendant of his necklace grazes between your legs and your body tenses at the light sensation.   
  
It doesn’t go unnoticed - he leans on his forearm as he uses his unsteady hand to push your shirt up kissing below your sternum, then he’s bringing his hand to coast along your thigh, moving his hand inwards until his thumb brushes between your legs.  
  
An aroused gasp from you has him smiling against your skin, his facial hair igniting your nerves as his warm kisses find your skin over and over again.  
  
“ _Sam_ ,” you moan causing him to look up at you.  
  
And when you move to sit up, your hands moving to the hem of your shirt, he gets the hint. Standing back up, he unbuckles his belt as you pull your shirt up and over your head, tossing it away. He steals glances at you as he toes off his boots and unzips his jeans.   
  
It’s only seconds his eyes are off of you, as he rids himself of his pants completely, and when he looks back, you’re pulling your bra off your shoulders revealing your bare chest. As comfortable as you are with him and as much as you want him, being almost completely naked now makes you a little bit shy. But then his eyes are on you, and the softness of his stare - as if he’s never seen something so incredible before - has you feeling the most confident you’ve ever felt since before Avery was born.   
  
It’d be a lie to say you never thought of this before. And part of it was how he’d be most comfortable, his limp not out of your memory at all.  You move to your knees and move to the edge of the bed.  
  
“Beautiful would be an understatement,” he utters as you slide your hands into his beard, along his jaw, pulling him down enough so you can kiss him.    
  
The warmth of his embrace against your nude body makes you feel safe, and it feels like you belong nowhere else but there in his arms. He has them wrapped around you as your breasts are flush against his chest, the semi-cool metal of his chain a small, welcome sensation on the soft flesh of your chest.   
  
As you feel him pull away and tilt his head to bring his mouth to your neck, you move your hands to rest at his ribcage, slowly rubbing his sides. When he starts sucking lightly, your nails dig into his skin, a moan slipping from your mouth. One of his hands slips down the curve of your back until he’s grabbing your ass. As you arch more against his chest, you feel his arousal against your core and you gasp with pleasure.  
  
The tip of his tongue swipes the red mark he just left then he’s kissing up your neck, his nose nudging your earlobe.  The way he gently sweeps your hair away from your neck makes you shiver.   
  
Fingertips smooth over the waistband of his boxer briefs, then you’re taking hold and pulling them down his hips.  When you push them enough to fall off, you wrap your hand around him causing his teeth to scrape your skin as he hisses out  _Shit_  in absolute pleasure.   
    
Even though he doesn’t need the help, you slowly pump your hand a few times before letting your fingers trace the dip of his muscles right above. The tips of his fingers dig into your back.    
  
Standing up against him, this time you turn him around giving his shoulders a gentle push to sit him down on the edge of the bed.  

With his new height compared to yours, his hands fit to your thighs, rubbing a couple times before they’re gliding up to your hips. His beard is against your stomach and your hands slip into his hair, massaging his scalp as your hips jerk now and then at the hot kisses he’s giving your body. 

Leaning down, you press your face against his dark locks and kiss his head.  It stills him briefly, straightening up, you look down at him as he looks up at you. Hands still in his hair, his eyes stay on yours as he grips the edge of your underwear and pulls them down your legs.    
  
Once they fall the rest of the way, he slowly tears his eyes away from yours to teasingly press kisses along your trimmed hair in front of him.  The way his facial hair brushes along your hair down there is more arousing than you anticipated. Your chest starts to rise and fall a bit faster as he stays close down there. Those large hands of his cover your rear and pull you closer between his spread knees and he wastes no time in pressing his mouth against you, his tongue reaching out several times to taste.   
  
“Oh my god,” you breathe.  
  
As much as you want that, you want him more.    
  
Leaning down, you tenderly grab his chin and kiss him before he can do it again.   
  
“I want you too much right now,” you murmur against his lips.   
  
He’s not offended, as is evident when his tongue hungrily meets your own.   
  
When you do pull away, you brace against his broad shoulders as you bring a knee to the bed, outside his thigh, then do the same with your other - Sam’s hands on your hips and thighs guiding you as he leans back a bit.  
  
Slowly, you lower your body, sinking down onto him. His hands stay firm on your hips as you both take a minute to just enjoy the feeling of being together like this.   
  
He kisses you briefly, and when you start grinding and moving your hips a few times, you hear a couple soft grunts leave him.   
  
Kissing his jaw before you cup it, thumb brushing over his lips, you’re moving tentatively against him as you ask, “Is this okay?”   
  
You’re referring to the position, to how he feels, and a bit about just you two being together.   
  
The muscle of his jaw moves against your palm as a soft grin appears.  The grip he has on you lets him pull you down harder onto him pushing a sweet moan from your lips. Your lips are on his, passionately indulging in him, when he quickly mumbles into it, “I think I’ll be alright.”   
  
A tiny joke. A tiny joke that makes you smile into the kiss, a smile that causes his own. Soft laughs intermingling as you grasp his face with care and press your forehead to his as your noses settle against each other. 

And all you think is how perfect of a moment it is, with the perfect man. 

 

_**_______** _

 

_**One and a half Months Later** _

  
Sam is leaning on the desk in his office, reading the newspaper that’s laid out flat in front of him. In particular, he checks out the weather. This second week of September is still basking in some leftover warmth from August.   
  
With his office door propped open for the fresh air, he easily hears the sound of a car entering the lot. Looking up, he recognizes it.  

With a smile, he stands up as he rubs his right hand.   
  
Pulling into a parking space near your room, you get out of the driver’s seat. As usual, you glance at the office and you see him step out of the office heading your way.  Smiling, you throw him a quick wave as you open the rear passenger door as he gives a nod in return.    
  
As soon as you unbuckle Avery from her booster seat and help her out of the car, she’s already excited, “Sam!” and runs to him.  
  
Sam’s only a few feet from you two now and when she reaches him, he’s already bending down with outstretched arms. Taking a hold of her sides, he lifts her up with a playful toss, her tiny rear end landing in the crook of his left arm, “Heya sweetheart,” he grins, “How’s it feel to have gone to school for one whole week already?”   
  
As you grab her little backpack from the backseat, you hear her tell him “Great!” which makes you both laugh.   
  
Walking over to them, Sam doesn’t outright acknowledge you, but in his own way he does. You’ve put Avery first since the moment she came into this world, and on his own, Sam does the same.  So as he’s looking at Avery who’s chatting away about her day at school, first he wiggles his fingers of the arm that’s holding her. And you slide the loop of the top of her backpack onto his fingers. 

Second, he opens up his right arm to you. Your arms wrap around his torso as you hug him, pressing your body against his side. His arm wraps around you, rubbing your side before his hand snakes into your hair from underneath, fingers gently rubbing your scalp - all the while his attention focused on your little girl’s tale of cutting shapes out of construction paper.    
  
It always feels good when he does this. Your face presses into his hard chest as you close your eyes, enjoying the feeling.  After a bit of that, his hand slides down your back until it rests on your ass, giving a squeeze of course which makes you smirk.   
  
Avery has a tendency to play with Sam’s beard when she’s being held like this, something she seems to not realize she’s even doing at times. As she looks at Sam, her tiny hands start sandwiching sections of his beard, while she asks, “Can I bring your cowboy hat to show and tell?”   
  
“‘Course you can,” he grins with a chuckle as her hands keep flattening his facial hair.   
  
Maggie rides in on her bike, set to start her shift in the office, “Hey you three! Avery, how was school?”   
  
“Good!” and the way she wiggles, Sam puts her down as Maggie comes over, crouching to Avery’s level to talk with your little sunshine.   
  
With Avery’s attention elsewhere, Sam still holding you to him, he looks at you and that soft smirk you love shows up, “Hey,” he says low.   
  
“Hi,” you almost whisper as you meet him for a kiss.   
  
“Wanna head out in a half hour?” he asks as he nuzzles your cheek.  
  
A nod, as you rub his exposed collarbone - his unbuttoned shirts making even more of an appearance since he found out what it does to you. 

He dips his head to press a quick kiss to your neck before kissing you again.  
  
After Sam packed your suitcases into the trunk of your car, and you made sure Avery used the bathroom, Sam is buckling her into her booster seat.   
  
It was a couple weeks ago that Sam had nervously asked you if a weekend away was something you’d be interested in along with Avery. He was so cute, but even cuter when you said yes. That led to Sam booking a cabin near a lake a few hours away, for the whole weekend.   
  
Sam settled into the driver’s seat, fixing the mirrors, as you buckled up in the passenger seat. Turning the radio on, an upbeat song you and your daughter love to sing to is on.  
  
Avery starts singing along as she claps her hands, and you laugh as you turn to look at her, playfully singing along with her.   
  
Sam’s eyes are bright and his heart full when he turns to look between you both, a big amused smile on his face.  
  
You’re so caught up in having fun with this beautiful little girl that when you realize Sam is watching you two, you laugh and quiet down, a lingering smile on your face as a blush creeps across your face.   
  
“Remind me to buy a radio for the cabin on the way,” he says sincerely, “You two aren’t half bad,” he teases with a grin.   
  
With his words, you realize he doesn’t mind in the least. Placing a hand on his forearm, you turn to Avery and finish the song with her as Sam pulls out of the space.   
  
Waiting for him to turn out of the parking lot, you feel his knuckles skim your jaw. When you turn to look at him, his hand now cupping your cheek, he gives you the sweetest smile along with that look, that look of someone who’s seeing his incredible future right in front of him.   
  
You unbuckle.your seatbelt and lean over - knowing what you’re up to he chuckles as he leans in too - and you kiss him. When you go to pull away, he quickly leans forward to capture your lips once more.  
  
When you both finally break apart, your eyes on each other, you hope you’re giving him that same look right back. 


End file.
